Chair



(No Model.)

W. B. ALLEN.

CHAIR. No. 249,865 Patented Nov. 22,1881.

INVENTOR MQMW ATTORNEY 1 u A d PM a 5/ WITNESSES NITED STATES PATENT Orrreat WlLLiAM B. ALLEN, or ORLEANS, NEW YORK.

CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,865, dated November 22, 1881.

Application filed May 8, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. ALLEN, of Orleans, in the county of Ontario and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chairs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawiu gs, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in chairs, and is designed to provide means whereby office, library, and all chairs of like character may be furnished, either at the time of or after their construction, with a simple and efficacious means of revolution to the right or left.

With this end in view, my invention consists, first, in a chair having one of its rearlegs provided with a caster-wheel, and the other legs unprovided with caster-wheels, whereby one rear leg of the chair may serve as a fixed fulcrum upon which the chair may be turned, a portion of the weight being supported upon the single caster-wheel as the chair is rotated.

My invention further consists in a chair havin g a caster attached to one of its rear legs, and a swiveled rocking foot attached to the other rear leg.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will hereinafter be described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a rear view, in perspective, showing the casterwheel attached to one leg, and the swiveled foot upon which the chair turns as upon a fulcrum attached to the other rear leg or post. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the swiveled foot or fulcrum.

A and B represent the two rear posts or legs of an ordinary chair, to which are respectively attached the caster-wheel C and the rocking swiveled foot A, upon which the chair revolves in partial or entire revolution. The casterwheel 0 is of any approved form of construction, and attached to the chair-leg A in the common way. 1 do not limit myself to this or any other form of a caster-wheel, as nearly all of the many varieties of casters will answer every purpose.

The swiveled foot D is formed of the ferrule or sleeve (1, attached to the extremity of the chair-leg B, a pillar or pivot, 12, extending up into a hole or socket, c, in the chair-leg, and one end projecting through the ferrule a, which is formed slightly conical on its lower face. To this end of the pillar b an inverted cup, 0, is swiveled, the open end of the cup 0 being provided with a rubber disk, (Z. The pointof the pivot b which passes through and into the cup 0 may be simply headed down or provided with a small washer, d, resting in a depression in the rubber disk d, or a ball-and-socket joint may be substantially formed by giving the end of the pillar b a knob or round shape, the object being to give the swiveled foot a rocking motion as well as a revolving motion. This rocking motion is aided by forming the end of the ferrule a and the bottom of the inverted cup cslightly conical, which will allow of considerable rocking motion before their edges will come in contact. This motion is rendered possible by the adjustment of the pillar b, as hereinbefore described.

When the occupant of the chair desires to reverse his position or turn to the right or left, he has only to throw-himself back so that his whole weight will be sustained by the rear chair legs or posts, not enough to raise the inverted cup 0 of the swiveled foot D, but at a sufficient inclination to leave the front chair-legs a slight distance from the floor. The chair, resting now as it does on the caster and swiveled foot, will need but slight impetus to turn it in either direction, revolving on the swiveled foot or fulcrum, which latter is anchored to the floor by the friction of the rubber disk 01 in the inverted cup'c, while the leg to which the easter-wheel is attached will describe a circle if the chair is completely revolved, or an arc of a circle proportionally great to the distance turned.

It will be seen that the chair can always be returned to the precise point from which it started, as the leg to which the swiveled foot is attached does not move.

The caster-wheel will be found of great service in n'iovingthe chair from place to place, as by simply tipping the chair to rest upon the caster it may be readily rolled to any part of the room.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A chair having one of its rear legs provided with a caster and its other three legs not furnished with casters, but made of such length that their lower ends will be located in the same horizontal plane as the bottom of the caster-wheel when the chair is resting on the floor, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a chair-leg, of an inverted cup having a yielding disk secured therein and arranged to project below the edge of the inverted cup, said cup being swiveled to a pillar or pin inserted in the end of the chair r5 leg, whereby it is adapted to have a rotary and rocking motion, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a chair, of a caster attached to one of its rear legs and a swiveled and rocking foot connected with the other 20 rear leg, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 5th day of May, 1880.

WILLIAM B. ALLEN.

\"itnesses:

(I. A. Wanna, J. P. SPEAR. 

